Popularity of Facebook

Been thinking more about the popularity of Facebook. In one of the previous posts I was proposing that the reason is the fact that it allows non-geeks to create and maintain a web site. I now also think that it goes beyond this. A big part of the appeal is that you can add “applications” to your site that allows other to interact with you.

For example you could add a “game” application to your site and invite other to compete. Your web site is then updated with your gaming results. A bit like a medal of honour you could say.

The foundation of Facebook’s popularity is clearly the “social” aspect. The ability to interact with people you know or have met anywhere you have internet access.

Now is it such a stetch to imagine this sort of application being recast into a business networking environment? I’m sure we all understand the potential issues but for a moment let’s dwell on the possibilities. If you created a site that was your business and then invited your customers to link to your site. They could post their testimonials up there and you could interact with them directly. As they developed their own corporate site you could see if there maybe anyone else they know that could use your services.

The above is just one example that springs to mind. The more you think about the application to businesses the more you see that it will only be a matter of time before something like this emerges.